Sketches from Formosa.

58
SKETCHES FROM FORMOSA
our Po-li-sia chapels. It stands in the village of Toa-lam,
about three miles south from Gu-khun-soa. A large
company of candidates was awaiting me there, and I
immediately began the work of examination. As the
Bible knowledge of the majority appeared to be still at
a very rudimentary stage, and I had arranged to be at
Aw-gu-lan on the morrow, only the cases of the more
promising were considered, all connected with the congre-
gation being invited to assemble in the evening for worship
and further instruction. Before leaving I saw my way
to announce that three of the candidates would be
admitted.
On Saturday the Elders and myself had a very busy day
at Aw-gu-lan. After giving satisfactory profession of
their faith in Christ, no fewer than ten adults were passed
for baptism. Their acquaintance with Scripture was
quite above the average, and good evidence was given
that they were all persons who led consistent, blameless
lives. A meeting for special prayer
was held in the
evening, at which we asked that God would graciously
forgive all the errors and imperfections of our work,
that the names of the brethren to be received might be
written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and that every soul
would be blessed at our services on the morrow.
The Sabbath morning gathering of the three congregations
took place at Aw-gu-lan. As no house there could
have contained so large a company, several brethren were
engaged the night before in erecting a wooden platform
under the branches of a huge banyan tree. At least
four hundred persons met round it that morning. There
was something grand about the whole surroundings,
while the interest and attention of the people were everything
that could be desired. After the sermon the fourteen
whose examination had been sustained stood forward,
and again confessed the name of Christ before receiving